SciFi Japan

    Defending the Earth from giant monsters, ULTRAMAN 80 finally comes to DVD in Japan! © Tsuburaya Productions

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Final Showa Ultraman TV Series To Be Released On DVD Author: Jim M. Ballard Source: Bandai Visual ULTRAMAN 80 (Urutoraman Eitii, 1980), the last live action Ultraman TV series of the Showa era, will be released on DVD for the first time in Japan this year. It is the last of all the primary Ultraman TV series to be released on DVD in Japan. The series will be split into two "Memorial Box" collection sets. Memorial Box I is due for release on June 25th, and will contain the first twenty-eight episodes on seven discs. Memorial Box II will be released three months later on September 24th, containing the final twenty-two episodes on six discs, plus a bonus disc containing special features. Both sets come in deluxe art boxes and will retail for 24,150 yen (approx. US$260). The discs are region coded, and

    DVD cover art for MOTHER, the latest thriller from THE HOST director Bong Joon-ho. Photo courtesy of Madman Entertainment. © 2009 CJ Entertainment and Barunson

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    Source: Madman Entertainment The Australian distributor Madman Entertainment is releasing the following anime and Asian live action titles this month on Region 4 DVD... MOTHER A girl found murdered. A mother`s handicapped son stands accused, but she will stop at nothing to prove his innocence. From Bong Joon-ho, director of THE HOST comes MOTHER, which stars Kim Hye-ja in the role which won her the Best Actress award at last year`s Asia-Pacific Screen Awards. Hye-ja is a single mum to 27-year-old Do-joon. Though an adult in years, Do-joon is like a child and dependent on his mother, sometimes behaving in ways that are stupid or simply dangerous. One day a young girl is found dead in an abandoned building and Do-joon is accused of her murder. An inefficient lawyer and the apathetic police force that close Do-joon`s case too quickly inspire his mother to act on

    © Bird Studio/Shueisha, Toei Animation. ©1986 Toei Animation Co., Ltd.

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    Source: FUNimation Entertainment press releases Special Thanks to Jackie Smith FUNimation Entertainment has provided details on several new and upcoming Region 1 anime DVDs... DRAGON BALL SEASON 4 COMPLETE COLLECTION Box Set Available May 4 SRP $49.98 Official Site: dragonball.com Goku`s headed for a showdown with a sinister green fiend! A new breed of evil - more powerful than anything ever experienced - is taking the world`s greatest martial artists down for the count. Goku is quick to join the fight, but he`s about to meet his match in the form of King Piccolo. This menacing monster has the power to pulverize the planet, and his murderous rampage will not stop until he controls the power of the seven magic Dragon Balls. When Krillin is the first hero cut down by the monster`s minion, the stage is set for a brutal grudge match between Goku and

    Live in England? Like Japanese horror movies? Then enter SciFi Japan`s contest to win the new JU-ON: WHITE GHOST and JU-ON: BLACK GHOST UK DVD! Photo courtesy of 4Digital Media and Organic Marketing. © 2009 Toei Video Co., Ltd. /Cell

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    Source: 4Digital Media, Organic Marketing Special Thanks to Alexandra Beedell SciFi Japan is pleased to present another giveaway contest for Japanese horror fans in the United Kingdom. On April 26th, the two latest films in the hugely successful JU-ON/THE GRUDGE Japanese horror series— JU-ON: WHITE GHOST and JU-ON: BLACK GHOST— will be released together on DVD in the UK by 4Digital Media. The one disk set continues the franchise under the helm of the original JU-ON producer Taka Ichise and creator Takashi Shimizu whose horror filled vision was remade in America as THE GRUDGE (2004). To celebrate the release of these horrifying films 4Digital Media and Organic Marketing have 5 copies of the DVD to give away to SciFi Japan readers in Britain. JU-ON: WHITE GHOST (Ju-On: Shiroi Rojo, 2009) is the story of a son who brutally and methodically murders all five of his family

    VIZ Pictures is offering SciFi Japan readers the chance to win a K-20: THE FIEND WITH TWENTY FACES Gift Pack containing the DVD and poster. Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures. © 2008

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    Get the K-20 DVD and Poster for Free, Courtesy of VIZ Pictures and SciFi Japan Source: VIZ Pictures Official Movie Site: k20themovie (US), K-20 (Japanese) Special Thanks to Rieko Fuji A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Today, VIZ Pictures is releasing the action film K-20: THE FIEND WITH TWENTY FACES (K-20: Kaijin Nijumenso Den, 2008) on Region 1 DVD. To celebrate the new release, VIZ Pictures is giving SciFi Japan readers in the United States and Canada a chance to win one of three Gift Packs, each with the K-20: THE FIEND WITH TWENTY FACES DVD and poster. K-20: THE FIEND WITH TWENTY FACES Synopsis 1949. In the fictional capital city of "Teito" the aristocrats continue to thrive since the 19th Century, and there is a wide gap between rich and poor. In the city, there are rumors about a mysterious thief, who only steals

    Keiko Furano (Eri Otoguro) goes to extremes to keep her boyfriend in the splatter horror comedy VAMPIRE GIRL VS FRANKENSTEIN GIRL. Photo courtesy of Eleven Arts Entertainment. © 2010 Pony Canyon /Concept Film /Excellent Film Partners

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    Source: FUNimation Entertainment press release, Eleven Arts Entertainment Special Thanks to Brian Cleary High school student Mizushima receives Valentines Day chocolates from the new student, Monami Arukado Little did Mizushima know that the chocolates contained traces of Monami’s vampire blood. He gets infected from eating them and Monami confesses that she wants to live with him forever as vampires. Overtaken by jealousy from seeing the two together Mizushima’s girlfriend Keiko Furano teases Monami relentlessly. While attempting to uncover Monami’s greatest weakness, Keiko finds out her true identity as a vampire. Meanwhile, Mizushima decides that he wants to fully become a vampire with Monami’s help. Keiko sees the two on the school rooftop kissing and in a state of hysteria, attempts to throw Monami off the roof but falls off herself instead. Keiko dies but her father, Kenji Furano, the mad scientist, resurrects her as Franken girl.

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    Coming to US DVD and Blu-Ray this Summer Source: Media Blasters Special Thanks to Richard York Media Blasters has released the English language trailer for DEATH KAPPA, a new Tokyo Shock original film produced with Fever Dreams Japan. DEATH KAPPA is an "old school" daikaiju movie from the creators of cult favorites THE MACHINE GIRL, DEATH TRANCE and TOKYO GORE POLICE and director Tomoo Haraguchi, the celebrated make-up, creature and effects master whose credits include the last four Gamera films, ASHURA, UZUMAKI, RING 0, Showtime`s MASTERS OF HORROR series. and REIGO: THE DEEP-SEA MONSTER VS THE BATTLESHIP YAMATO. Haraguchi has also directed a handful of films such as MIKADROID, SAKUYA, and KIBAKICHI. The kappa, in Japanese folklore, are water goblins that are closely associated with a certain town in the country. Unfortunately, the area is also home to a militant splinter group of researchers dedicated to developing

    Cover for the Blu-Ray release of WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS. ©2010 Toho Co., Ltd.

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Toho Releases Classic WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS to Blu-Ray. Author: Loren Portillo Official Website: Toho Blu-Ray With the great news of a new Godzilla film in the near future, Toho Studios has been getting into the Blu-ray game with some of the great kaiju classics from the 1950`s and 60`s with such titles as GODZILLA (GOJIRA, 1954), RODAN (SORA NO DAIKAIJU RADON, 1957) MOTHRA (MOSURA, 1962) and the newly released WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS (SANDA TAI GAIRA, 1966). Presented in an incredible 2:35:1 Blu-ray transfer, WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS is by far the most pristine print ever of this classic and is superior to the "Toho Master Collection" DVD put out by Classic Media last year. Many fans were disappointed with the Japanese film transfer in that collection, but will be very elated to see a fantastic film transfer here. But unlike the Classic Media DVD

    Cover art for the K-20: THE FIEND WITH TWENTY FACES Region 1 DVD, on sale April 20th from VIZ Pictures. Photo courtesy of VIZ Media. © 2008

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    Suspense And Intrigue Combine With Stunning Visual Effects And Gravity-Defying Stunts For A Riveting Adventure Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press releases Official Movie Site: k20themovie (US), K-20 (Japanese) Special Thanks to Evelyn Dubocq and Erik Jansen VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, will release the action film K-20: THE FIEND WITH TWENTY FACES (K-20: Kaijin Nijumenso Den, 2008) on DVD on April 20th. The film will carry an MSRP of $24.92 U.S. / $35.99 CAN, and will be distributed exclusively across North America by VIZ Media. Director Shimako Sato assembled a strong cast and used cutting edge special effects to bring K-20 to life. The movie is set in the fictional city of Teito in the late 1940s, in a world where World War II never happened and the nobility system established during the Meiji Era still

    DVD cover art for SHINTARO!, the documentary about the impact THE SAMURAI had on Australian audiences. Photo courtesy of Madman Entertainment. © 2009 ScreenWorld

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    Documentary on THE SAMURAI`s Extreme Popularity in Australia Comes to DVD April 21st Source: Madman Entertainment Beginning December 29th, 1964, an extraordinary cross-cultural TV sensation swept through the suburban lounge rooms of Australia. Senkosha Productions` THE SAMURAI (Onmitsu Kenshi, 1962-65) left an indelible impression on the children of the “swinging” sixties. Imported from Japan, dubbed into American-English it was a smash hit, astonishing broadcasters, advertisers, the press and critics alike. Never before, or since, has a show become such a cult hit and caused such controversy as THE SAMURAI. This 2009 documentary interviews prominent Australian SAMURAI lovers - such as comedian Steve Bedwell (FULL FRONTAL), writer/producer Santo Cilauro (The D-Generation) and Roy Slaven (comedian John Doyle) - to discover exactly why THE SAMURAI phenomenon caused such fervor across Australia. SHINTARO! THE SAMURAI SENSATION THAT SWEPT A NATION With the WWII Pacific conflict with Japan

    © 2007 501st Joint Fighters Wing

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Source: FUNimation Entertainment press release Special Thanks to Jackie Smith and Manny Alcala FUNimation Entertainment has provided details on three new Region 1 anime DVDs going on sale at the end of March... STRIKE WITCHES: The Complete First Season Box Set Available March 30th SRP $59.98 Official Site: funimation.com/strikewitches Winning the War on Pants! The year is 1944 and the world lives in fear of unidentified flying objects called Neuroi. With the old-boy old guard unable to thwart this deadly menace, humanity turns its desperate eyes to an aerial attack force with much nicer legs. Meet the girls of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, better known as the Strike Witches. These darlings of the great blue yonder may not have standard issue uniforms, but they do have all the right stuff. Where the average flyboy falters, these dolls blast aliens to bits in the bat of

    DVD cover art for Kiyoshi Kurosawa`s J-Horror classic CURE. Photo courtesy of Madman Entertainment. ©1997 Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

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    With Just One Word, You Will Do Anything Source: Madman Entertainment Known as one of the top J-Horror directors, Kiyoshi Kurosawa has made such well-known hits as SEANCE (Kourei: Ushirowo Miruna, 1999), CHARISMA (Karisuma, 2001), PULSE (Kairo, 2001), BRIGHT FUTURE (Akarui Mirai, 2003), DOPPELGANGER (Dopperugengaa, 2003), and LOFT (Rofuto, 2005). One of his most acclaimed works is CURE (Kyua, 1997) which is now coming to Region 4 (Australia) DVD from Madman Entertainment. CURE stars Kurosawa regular Koji Yakusho, who has also appeared in such films as LORELEI: THE WITCH OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN (Lorelei, 2005), RETRIBUTION (Sakebi, 2006), and BABEL (2006). Yakusho`s co-stars include Masato Hagiwara (ONMYOJI, KITARO AND THE MILLENNIUM CURSE), Anna Nakagawa (GODZILLA VS KING GHIDORAH), and genre fave Yukijiro Hotaru (ZEIRAM, the 90s Gamera trilogy, GMK, MIKAZUKI). Against the backdrop of a decaying Tokyo, Detective Kenichi Takabe (Koji Yakusho) investigates a series of

    Click on the above image to download a pdf file of this CLANNAD upgrade order form. Photo courtesy of Section23 Films. © 2007 Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, Inc.

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    vSource: Section23 Films press release Special Thanks to Mike Bailiff The hit anime series CLANNAD is being reissued on DVD by Sentai Filmworks with a brand-new English dub. Originally released in a subtitled only format, CLANNAD is receiving the dub as part of an agreement in which several affiliated groups have come together to create English language versions for five of Sentai’s most popular titles. In appreciation of those who supported the subtitled only release of these shows, Sentai Filmworks and Section23 Films have set up an “Upgrade” program which will allow owners of the subtitled versions to upgrade their DVD’s for the new release containing the English dub. For more about the English dubbed version of CLANNAD please see the earlier report here on SciFi Japan. About Section23 Films Section23 Films provides home video marketing and distribution services for a variety of companies,

    The ever-popular Gary Oldman plays CIA Tokyo Bureau Chief Holtzer, the man charged with capturing a Special Forces soldier who has turned assassin. Photo courtesy of The Associates. © 2009 Rain Fall LLP.

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    Gary Oldman and Toho Actors Star in First Film of ‘John Rain’ Series Source: The Associates press release Special Thanks to Farhana Shaikh Based on the first book in the series of bestselling ‘John Rain’ novels by acclaimed author and former CIA operative Barry Eisler, the action-packed crime-thriller, RAIN FALL, brings Eisler’s half-Japanese, half-American anti-hero to the screen for the first time in the form of award winning Japanese star, Keppei Shiina (THE LAST PRINCESS; SAKURAN). RAIN FALL (cert. 15) will be released on DVD (£15.99) by Momentum Pictures on 29th March 2010. Adapted for the screen and directed by Max Mannix (DANCE OF THE DRAGON), this slickly mounted, tense thriller co-stars Gary Oldman (THE DARK KNIGHT; HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX), veteran Japanese actor Akira Emoto (GODZILLA VS SPACE GODZILLA; ICHI; MEMORIES OF MATSUKO; SINKING OF JAPAN), Kyoko Hasegawa

    TAYUTAMA: KISS ON MY DEITY COMPLETE COLLECTION. Photo courtesy of Section23 Films.

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    Source: Section23 Films press release Special Thanks to Mike Bailiff Section23 Films has announced that TAYUTAMA: KISS ON MY DEITY is now on sale on DVD across North America. TAYUTAMA: KISS ON MY DEITY COMPLETE COLLECTION contains all 12 episodes of the magical comedy series on 2 discs. TAYUTAMA began life as a popular adult PC game, but it has since been adapted to many other media, including anime. Yuuri Mito is a typical, normal Japanese teenager. He goes to school, works on people`s motorcycles and performs exorcisms. Okay, that last part`s a little bit unusual, but his family lives in a shrine and they do that sort of thing. Still, you would think he`d know enough to be careful with an ancient relic he finds in the woods, especially when a mysterious goddess appears and tells him to leave it alone. Unfortunately, despite Mito`s best

    Cover art for the FIST OF LEGEND two-disc Ultimate Edition DVD. Photo courtesy of The Associates. © 1994 Golden Harvest /Eastern Production Ltd.

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Hong Kong Classic Gets Ultimate Edition Treatment Source: The Associates press release Special Thanks to Paul Smith Directed by Gordon Chan (THE MEDALLION; BEAST COPS) and starring martial arts superstar Jet Li (THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR; THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM; FEARLESS; HERO), FIST OF LEGEND gets the Ultimate Edition treatment courtesy of Cine Asia with an extra features-packed Blu-ray and two-disc DVD release on 22nd March 2010. A stunning reinvention of Bruce Lee’s timeless 1972 classic, FIST OF FURY, FIST OF LEGEND delivers scene upon scene of intense and magnificently composed martial arts action for what is now considered by many to be the greatest kung fu movie of all time. In the most electrifying performance of his celebrated career, international superstar Jet Li plays Chen Zhen, the matchless number-one student of China’s preeminent kung fu master, Fok Yun-gap. Upon returning

    The popular anime CLANNAD will be dubbed in English this year. Photo courtesy of Section23 Films. © 2007 Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, Inc.

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    Premieres this Month on Anime Network VOD Source: Sentai Filmworks, Anime Network press releases Special Thanks to David Williams and Christian Lopez From the creators of AIR and KANON comes a sweeping new saga in which the sentimental, the surreal and the supernatural inexplicably become one: this is the world of CLANNAD. Prepare to meet the ambitious Tomoyo, who dreams of becoming class president; Kotomi, a troubled genius with a secret past; and most mysteriously, Fuko, whose disassociation with the world has become so severe that she is literally fading from existence! Sentai Filmworks is pleased to announce that the hit series CLANNAD will be receiving an English dub. Originally released in a subtitled only format, CLANNAD is receiving the dub as part of an agreement in which several affiliated groups have come together to create English language versions for five of Sentai’s most popular titles.

    © 2007 Xebec- Genco/ Yggdrasil Executive Committee

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    Source: FUNimation Entertainment press releases Special Thanks to Jackie Smith FUNimation Entertainment has provided details on several new and upcoming Region 1 anime DVDs... RIN: DAUGHTER OF MNEMOSYNE Complete Series Box Set Available Now SRP $59.98 Official Site: funimation.com/rin Rin Asogi is an immortal private detective with a thirst for vodka and a talent for attracting things that go bump in the night. In a series of nightmarish vignettes spanning sixty-five years, Rin`s lush body is sadistically pierced, blown up, and mulched to a bloody pulp. The fiend behind her tortured existence is Apos, an eternal being obsessed with sacrificing Rin to Yggdrasil, the tree of all life. While Rin struggles to unravel the secrets of her endless agony, Apos lurks in the shadows, eager to tear into her ripe body and devour the memories of her countless lives. Rin`s no stranger to the realm of

    An overturned cruise ship leans against Busan`s Gwangan Grand Bridge in the mega-tsunami thriller HAEUNDAE, now available on Region 4 DVD. Photo courtesy of Madman Entertainment. © 2009 JK Film / CJ Entertainment

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    Natural Disasters and Mutant Animals Terrify and Entertain Source: Madman Entertainment Two of the biggest box office hits in Korea last year were the mega-tsunami thriller HAEUNDAE and the killer wild boar horror/comedy CHAW. The Australian distributor Madman Entertainment has picked up both films and is releasing them on Region 4 PAL DVD. HAEUNDAE went on sale last month, and CHAW is scheduled for April. Neither movie has been released on home video in North America. HAEUNDAE There is no escape. Korea`s first disaster movie has arrived, with special effects by acclaimed Hollywood CGI specialists Polygon, the team behind the STAR WARS prequels, THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW and THE PERFECT STORM. During the busy summer months, the beach resort of Haeundae is packed with up to 1 million vacationing Koreans. On one such day, marine geologist Kim-hwi detects some seismic activity which

    DVD cover art for YOU`RE UNDER ARREST: FULL THROTTLE COLLECTION 1, now on sale. Photo courtesy of Section23 Films.

    DVD Blu-ray Digital

    New Anime and Live Action Region 1 DVDs Source: Section23 Films press release Special Thanks to Mike Bailiff Genre distributor Section23 Films has announced two new DVDs hitting shelves today. From Section23 client Sentai Filmworks comes the first collection of YOU`RE UNDER ARREST: FULL THROTTLE, the outrageous follow-up to YOU`RE UNDER ARREST: FAST & FURIOUS. Next up is BUYUSENKI BATTLE CHRONICLE, a motorcycle gang action thriller from Switchblade Pictures. YOU`RE UNDER ARREST: FULL THROTTLE The ladies of Bokuto Police Station are back, but there have been some BIG changes! Miyuki`s been in the U.S., studying American police techniques while Natsumi`s actually been serving in the military! So have these world-changing experiences had any effect on how everyone`s favorite girls in blue carry out their duties protecting the Japanese public? Have they gained a more "mature" perspective? Well, let`s just say that, if anything, they may be

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